Community opponents of the redevelopment of Lansdowne Park say they agreed to a mediated settlement with the city with reluctance.

The city announced Wednesday it had approved a settlement that will remove mid-rise buildings from Holmwood Avenue, cap the heights of other buildings and provide added protection for the urban park.

The settlement, arising out of mediation with city staff, the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group and community groups, would also cap residential development at 280 units, add some traffic restrictions, and set aside park space at Bank Street and Holmwood Avenue.

The settlement, arising out of mediation with city staff, the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group and community groups, would also cap residential development at 280 units, add some traffic restrictions, and set aside park space at Bank Street and Holmwood Avenue.

The settlement is contingent on the Glebe Community Association and the Old Ottawa South Community Association and other groups dropping zoning appeals to the Ontario Municipal Board. All but three appeals filed by individuals remain before the Ontario Municipal Board.

Ottawa – City Council today approved a significant mediated settlement on Lansdowne zoning with a number of community groups that marks a turning point in the City’s working relationship with its neighbourhood stakeholders and will also help to avoid an Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) hearing.

“By reaching this agreement today, we have not only signalled the start of a more productive partnership with our community stakeholders, but we have made huge strides towards avoiding a very lengthy and costly OMB hearing,” said Mayor Jim Watson. “I would like to thank the community groups, City staff and Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group, for their determination in finding a consensus. It’s a sure sign that working together we can achieve progress.”

“This settlement is the result of significant effort, goodwill and willingness amongst the City, its partner, the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group, and community associations to work together during the recent mediation sessions,” said Kent Kirkpatrick, City Manager. “The lengthy mediation process has resulted in a consensus, compromises and some changes to the project.”

OTTAWA — The city and its partner in the Lansdowne Park redevelopment — the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group — settled on Wednesday with 11 of the 14 parties appealing the project to the Ontario Municipal Board.

The concessions include giving $300,000 to the Glebe BIA and $30,000 to community groups to help them through what will surely be a disrupting construction session when the Lansdowne project gets under way. The city and OSEG will split the costs equally.

The changes also include preserving what amounts to air space for area residents.

For example, one condition of the settlement sees the total elimination of nine-storey residential buildings that were to be built behind townhouses facing Holmwood Avenue. While the walk-ups are still going ahead, the commercial buildings behind them will only be about four storeys high — the same height as the townhouses.

The condo tower going up at the intersection of Bank Street and Holmwood Avenue will be capped at 12 storeys instead of the previously planned 14, and a small public square will be installed at the corner.

It may be convenient to label Glebe residents as anti-anything at Lansdowne Park, but that does not make it true. People here have co-existed for many decades with the traffic, noise and exciting energy that characterize this public venue, and they are more interested than anyone in seeing Lansdowne Park redeveloped as a vibrant hub of culture, enterprise, recreation and sport.

Indeed, local residents are positively bursting with constructive ideas about how to redevelop this public space to offer opportunities for athletes, businesses, artists and others. Not once in many weeks of campaigning in Capital Ward — and not once since — have I heard a single citizen say they want to leave Lansdowne Park as it is.

Lansdowne Park is arguably Ottawa’s most important public space, and many continue to believe that it should be redeveloped in a way that achieves the very best results for the public good, remaining in public hands.

As for the delays, it is equally convenient and untrue to attribute these to the court challenge. I sit on the Lansdowne Design Review Panel and can tell you that everything is well behind the original schedule. This is a big and complicated project, and delays have been encountered in all most every aspect of the design work, the legal agreements and the search for commercial tenants.

But delays are not always a bad thing. Used constructively, delays offer us a chance to question, revisit and improve on what has been proposed to date. Delays also provide an opportunity to listen to the many ideas that previously went unheard at open houses that were more sales pitch than consultation. The best ideas could still be adopted, the rest rejected.

The outcome of the court challenge will not be known for months. Let's use the intervening time to improve, not to blame.

Residents expressed concern Thursday that the design for a new urban park at Lansdowne does not include designated sporting areas such as soccer fields.

"We're going to spend a lot of money, but we're not going to have any soccer fields or baseball diamonds," said resident Fraser Pollock.

"There are some practical elements that just aren't there."

About 25 people turned out for round two of public consultations being held for the urban park that will be part of the Lansdowne Park redevelopment.

Accompanying the park will be a refurbished Frank Clair Stadium and the development of 340,000 square feet of commercial space -being overseen through a public-private partnership between the city and the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group.

A group with Phillips Farevaag and Smallenberg (PFS) are in Ottawa this week to get public input on their proposed design plan. The Vancouver-based firm beat out four others shortlisted in the design competition for the public space.

In order for the planned urban park at Lansdowne to move forward, a group of passionate locals with green thumbs might have to step forward to help care for an on-site orchard.

“What we’re trying to explore is giving residents in the neighbourhood an opportunity to participate in the park,” said Marta Farevaag, a partner of the firm designing the public space, adding that the idea is open to change pending public input.

About 60 residents packed into the Glebe Collegiate cafeteria on Wednesday night for the first of two public meetings on the urban park. The refurbishment of Frank Clair Stadium and the development of 340,000 square feet of commercial space — being overseen through a public-private partnership between the city and the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group — are also part of the plan for the project.

Architects with Phillips Farevaag and Smallenberg (PFS) are in Ottawa this week to get public input on their proposed design plan. The Vancouver-based firm beat out four others shortlisted in the design competition for the public space.

The urban space would have 10 different elements including the Aberdeen Pavilion, the Horticulture Building, a Great Lawn that would hold about 10,000 people, as well as a children's garden, an outdoor curling rink and community gardens. The planned rink would be placed east of the Aberdeen Pavilion.

"I think with the small portion of land that they have to work with, they put a lot of thought into it," said resident Linden Holmes, who stirred the rest of the room into applause. "I'm quite impressed with the plan."

Holmes said one thing she would like included in the space is a more natural area for people to walk through.

Several programming ideas for the space were also discussed. They included having the Ottawa Farmer's Market on site throughout the year, hosting the finish line for the Ottawa Marathon and holding Winterlude activities.

The Horticulture Building would be home to studio space, a skate rental booth, a café and offices needed for park management, said Jeffrey Staates, a principal at the firm.

The firm's original proposal included an artificial island in the middle of the canal and a bridge that would connect the site to Old Ottawa East, but these two elements were eliminated when the design was first selected.

After some residents expressed concern last year about how the existing Sylvia Holden Park at the corner of Bank Street and Holmwood Avenue would fit into the redevelopment, architect Greg Smallenberg said many of its features were "very comfortably residing in our drawings."

Meanwhile, a court challenge, launched by Friends of Lansdowne, is threatening to push back the start date for construction. The group claims bylaws and resolutions approved by city council last June are tainted by "illegality."

While the challenge was set to be heard early next month, it has been postponed until late June.

Work on the stadium was to have started in May and been completed by June 2013. The disputed move of the horticultural building was set to happen between May and September, but this might also be delayed until the fall.

The firm will be developing a detailed design plan for the park within the next few months. Various programming ideas are being considered and will go before city council this summer.

The next meeting will be held tonight in the main hall of the Ottawa South Community Centre from 6-9 p.m.

Capital Ward Cup winners the Old Ottawa South Moose with Councillor David Chernushenko, who refereed the tournament.

The Old Ottawa South Moose won a hard-fought final by a score of 10-9 over the powerful Old Ottawa East Hosers (defending champions) to take home the Capital Ward Cup on Sunday Jan. 30.

Councillor David Chernushenko refereed this fourth annual version of the Capital Ward Cup, initiated by his predecessor Clive Doucet. This year's event was hosted by the Glebe at Mutchmor Rink. The other participating teams were the Glebe Goal-Getters and the Heron Park Hackers.

The Capital Ward Cup will be displayed at the Old Firehall Community Centre for the coming year, bringing pride to Old Ottawa South and inciting Heron Park, the Glebe and Old Ottawa East to return with a vengeance next year. The 2012 tournament will be hosted by Heron Park.

Capital Ward Cup finalists the Old Ottawa South Moose (in blue) and the Old Ottawa East Hosers (in green) with Councillor David Chernushenko.

The final game.

The Glebe Goal-Getters (in black) take on the Heron Park Hackers (in red).

The group Friends of Lansdowne released an independent assessment of the proposed Lansdowne Park redevelopment on Monday ― and the report says the cost to taxpayers could be an extra $100 to $200 million.

The lobby group hired the Toronto firm Rosen and Associates to examine the city's financial projections.The company's website claims that it is "Canada's premier independent firm specializing in forensic and investigative accounting."

The report says the huge project could result in a deficit of between $100 and $200 million.

The city says its plan to redevelop the area, along with a group of private developers, is priced at $175 million.

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The city and its partners hope to begin construction later this year. But David Chernushenko, the councillor for the Glebe, says the Rosen report is " alarming." "I would hope that returning councillors ― and new ones ― would want to know more about the economics and say, 'Whoa, let's understand this fully and possibly re-consider.' "